When my dentist, Dr Yosef (Pauline) in Lincolnwood, told me I needed a root canal, she referred me to her husband in Portage Park. Not sure what the negative reviews are about, but I had a great experience! It was easy to get an appointment and the staff were nice and friendly. The male Dr Yosef (John) was great! Very personable and I couldn't believe that my root canal didn't hurt! The first one I had was at a different practice and it was terrible!! So painful and made me postpone this one for years! He was kind and gentle and even the shots of novacaine to numb my mouth were painless. The procedure took a little over an hour and I couldn't be happier. The cost was more than I was expecting but that's due to my insurance, not them. I have to go back in two weeks and I actually don't mind. read more

Optima Family Dental - Getting a root canal - General Dentistry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Optima is very professional and they're simply the best, Better than all the rest! From the assistant, to hygienist to the Doctor... everyone is concise and to the point! I've never had dental experience of this magnitude !!!... read more

I've been with this dentist for some years now and I'm happy. Everyone is always kind and the doc is sure to explain everything and answer any questions. He also has a soft touch, which I appreciate. I've even sent my 80 year old mother to him and she fell in love. read more

Do Not go to this money hungry terrible dental office. They will put you in collections if you stop going to them. They over book appointments to get more money and make you wait for a long time. Service is bad and the doctor is so greedy for money he makes his employees sell a home made mouth wash for $65.00 and it's in a plastic ugly container. If you value your credit do not go to this dental office. They also overcharge your credit card and when you call to complain they get nasty. Please becareful when doing any kind of business here they will try to get extra money from you some how and if they can't they make something up and put you in collections for $50.00 and they will ruin your perfect score because the doctor is so greedy read more

Horrible experience. Least compassionate dentist I have ever seen. He refused to explain a procedure to a 12 year old. He was rude and could not be bothered. The one star is for the excellent assistant that was compassionate and tried to be helpful and the office staff who are extremely professional, helpful and kind. I would not go to this dentist if you expect him to be patient or explain anything. read more

I regret ever using this dentist . She is HORRIBLE. She claimed I needed a root canal charged a lot I should have got a second opinion however I didn't and she took out a good tooth. I have since gone to a different dentist and he explained all that to me from the issues that tooth she ruined is now causing problems because of her. She was always late for appts pulled in and would not even acknowledge me while waiting on her in the waiting area. I do t want to give any stars however I have to I strongly suggest not to use this dentist. She is only about the money also wanted me to get a deep cleaning that I did not not need. I truly regret ever going to her read more

Scheduled a normal check-up & cleaning today after 13 months. 1. The doctor saw me prior to even taking any x-rays. After poking around in my mouth while telling jokes- his only relevant comments related to my dental health were, "pretty good, not too much buildup". Never saw him again after that. 2. The "cleaning" happened next by the dental technician, which, according to my watch, was approximately 5 minutes. 3. The technician then FINALLY took my yearly x-rays and said she would "bring them to the doctor to look at". She quickly returned, and told me, "he said you have cavities, see the holes here in your teeth? He said to just make sure you floss more." Ok...? Are they bad cavities? Why did he say my teeth were "pretty good" when he didn't have xrays to look at? When do the cavities need to be filled? I already floss daily, is there any other treatment plan? All these questions were spinning in my head and I was left dumbfounded and in a state of shock at the complete lack of professionalism of the entire visit. All I could think to do was to ask for a fluoride toothpaste (why is the patient asking for this anyway? shouldn't it be offered?). She replied with, "oh yeah I think we have that." I was then ushered to the front desk to pay for everything. At a bare minimum, I expect my dentist to share their expert opinion regarding my dental health and communicate a treatment plan should it be necessary. I did not experience either of these in the slightest today. Take this review for what you will. Perhaps the office was having a bad day. I will say the dentist and staff all appeared to have good intentions. read more

I had extensive dental work done this summer; cleaning, X-Rays, two crowns and a root canal. Dr. Yoseph and staff were great! He has a very warm demeanor, gentle with my teeth and explained the care plan in detail. I didn't even feel novocaine shot! The office staff are super friendly, flexible and helped me with some billing issues. I highly recommend this dental practice in my neighborhood. read more

This review is for the W. Irving location, not Cicerolocation. I called the office multiple times and would be placed on hold for 15 minutes. Finally got an appointment for consultation. I went to the wife's location and sat in waiting room for 20 minutes. No one came in and said anything. I just walked right out. Horrible customer service. read more

I had a polar opposite experience as the other reviewer. Just now, I was having a conversation with my girlfriend about finding a doctor in Chicago and mentioned that she should use my dentist because of all my positive experiences. While looking for Dr. Yosef on yelp, I was compelled to write about my highly professional and considerate cleanings, check-ups, fillings, and *root canal* with him. First and foremost, I respect him because his primary concern is my level of comfort while undergoing a procedure. He describes what he is about to do and checks in with me while he's working to verify that I am doing alright. He does notice winces or little grunts and immediately stops what he is doing to take the time to attend to what I'm feeling and then tries it a different way. I've been to dentists in the past where the mentality is "waaaaait just a minute... I'm almost done here". Secondly, whenever I heard the words "root canal", I had misgivings on what the experience would be like. Would I have to be knocked out because the pain was so bad? What would sort of temporary purgatory would I have to endure for my sins of bad brushing? I have lots of cavities from my teenage years on my back molars. Finally, some of the past bad dentistry caught up and I heard those two dreaded words. The day came and I tried my best to have an indifferent attitude. Dr. Yosef told me exactly what he was going to do and then went at it. He would even give me a mirror while he was preparing the next step so I could inspect myself what was going on. The only pain I had to endure was the annoyance of having my mouth open for more than 10 minutes. Time flew by and at the end I got a gold crown on my back molar. I am extremely pleased with the result and I want to get more root canals for my other back teeth. Can you say your dentist makes you feel like that? The man is highly intelligent and conversant, has a well run office (a key aspect of the medical profession that gets highly overlooked), and excellent assistants. I might just call him right now! read more

My family and I (3) have been going to Optima Family Dental for 12 years. I always recommend him as I truly believe he is the best dentist around. I have had an array of procedures from multiple cavities, pulled teeth, crowns, root canals and most recently, Invisalign. Prior to coming here, I had a few bad experiences at the dentist and have always been very apprehensive. He is very gentle and thorough with the numbing process and frequently checks in to make sure the pain is under control and that you cannot feel anything. He takes the time to explain what he is doing and the importance of your oral health. I am a third of the way done with Invisalign and everything is moving slowly but surely. I have felt very informed throughout the whole process thus far. His staff is also phenomenal - very friendly and knowledgeable. They do a great job at scheduling and limiting the wait times in the waiting room. I will say, early morning appointments are best because he is very busy. All in all he deserves 5 stars or more. He is meant to be a dentist & i'm so glad my family found him. read more

I have been in love with this dentist since the first time I had an appointment with him nine years ago. I know -- in love with your dentist??? BTW -- Why does this say CLOSED??? It's not. Anyway, I fell in love when I had to get my molars removed. (They were not impacted.) But I was still worried about the pain. Dr. John Joseph-Anhar came in. Gave me a couple of shots of Novocaine. I was fearful about the shots hurting. But he did something magical and I hardly felt them. Then he has this ability to gently work in your mouth without trauma or hard pressure. And he pulled the molars on one side of my mouth like they were roses. I had to go back the next week. But he had left that business and had planned to open his own office across the street. (This current address). They had another dentist assigned to me. I sat in the chair stunned. I didn't want another dentist. What was I going to do? I wanted Dr. Anhar! So as the replacement came in, I gathered my courage and said, "I want Dr. Joseph-Anhar." The replacement said, "He doesn't work here anymore." I said, ok tell me where he works now and I'll go to him. That caused quite a stir. But they re-scheduled me and then asked Dr. Joseph to come in one last time to finish the job. Six months or so later I got a call from his assistant telling me his new office address, and I have been going there with my two kids ever since -- for check ups, cleaning, post-ortho, chipped teeth... He's as affordable as any other dentist...which means costly ... but he may give a discount especially if you don't have insurance like me. read more

Friendly staff and Dr.yousef is great. He is detail oriented and makes fun conversation. They are flexible with scheduling and every interaction has been pleasant even with insurance and billing. read more

Great staff. Didn't have to wait long for my appointment and the work was done in a timely manner. Highly recommended. You can park on Irving, but way easier just to park on the side street just east of them. read more

Dr. Anwar gave my 5 year old a school dental exam. There was a deal for checking in. Dr. Anwar was professional and gave me a good deal of information regarding the little guys teeth. His hygienist was really sweet, and my little monster was happy to comply. Thank you Optima Dental. read more

First of all, this dental office always seems short staffed or running behind schedule. Dentist Yosef informed me that I had a small cavity on my back moral. Well, he gave me a filling then later that day I kept experiencing sensitivity/pain. I returned to the dental office only to be informed that I will need a root canal because the filling is too close to the root / nerve. I guess he shaved too much of my tooth structure....ahhh what happened to the "small cavity" he said I had? Long story short, John Yoseph-Anhar gave me a root canal then that root canal failed/got infected at the root. I finally switched dentists and now I will need to get a bone graft and a costly implant ($3,000). I have also realized now that Dr. Yosef's dental equipments were a bit outdated. I wish I never trusted him. read more

Such a wonderful, clean and helpful dental office. I recently had my wisdom teeth removed. The dentist made it comfortable and painless. I made a speedy recovery with no problem. I recommend this dentist for adults and children. read more

The staff is always friendly and professional. Besides excellent dental care for the whole family, they also go above and beyond for your comfort. I have been a patient for over 11 years and have never had a problem. They are great with little ones and I began taking my children when they barely had teeth so they would be used to the dentist. Excellent care and always there! read more

All I'm going to say is, don't let him do a root canal on you. He messed mine up and it cost me thousands & I ended up losing my tooth. Upsetting. He should refer all root canal to an endodontist. read more

Dr Joseph is the best dentist I've ever had,his first concern is my comfort.never had a problem with the service,great place for all ages.

This year we moved from a PPO policy to an HMO policy, and we chose Optima Dental as our new provider. My husband was told this week by Dr. Pauline that he has periodontal disease and needed a deep cleaning. When we went to schedule it we were told that the earliest available appointment was 4 months out. I asked if we could try the other office, as they have two locations, and 4 months seems like a long time to wait to address a disease. They told me that our insurance would not cover the other location- although our insurance says otherwise- so even now I am not sure who is right and who is wrong- insurance or Optima. Regardless, Optima told me that the only way to go to the other location would be to be re-assigned through insurance, and that the process would take 5 weeks. I called the other location to see if they had any availability, and they said they had availability even within the month if I wanted to pay cash (for an $835 procedure), but that I would need to wait 5 weeks for insurance to move us over before I was even able to schedule an appointment with them if we wanted to use our insurance- he'd probably end up waiting multiple months anyway. No one could help me understand why we couldn't schedule right now for when insurance would be moved over. They just kept repeating that it isn't the way that they do it. The next day my family got a call from our insurance carrier telling us that Optima had DROPPED US as their patients and that we would need to be re-assigned. I called them, and they told me the reason was that I seemed "unhappy" with their scheduling policy, so it would be best if we found a new dentist. My husband and I both are teachers within the fields of communication, and we both practice social-justice models in our teaching. We feel like we are generally very good at speaking respectfully during conflict, and I know I was very mindful of staying respectful during my phone conversations. This experience led me down a wormhole about dental HMOs. Apparently they get a certain amount of money from insurance (maybe about $15/month) from each HMO patient, and they make a calculated risk that their patients will need less dentistry than will average out to that $15/month number, so that they make a profit. Basically, the model has an inherent conflict of interest. If your patients come in too often or need expensive procedures, you don't make money. The solution? Schedule them as far out as possible. Prioritize cash patients, and patients with PPOs where you can bill for each procedure. Is this what they are doing? I will never know for sure. But it is interesting that my husband could get in within the month if he paid cash, but the soonest available under his HMO plan was going to be months and months out. And then it would make sense why I never got a straight answer as to why we couldn't schedule him sooner- as the real answer might certainly be- "We're prioritizing the health of people who are paying us more." Now this is all hypothesis. No one would give me a direct answer. But it does make a lot of sense to me- and it does make me very wary of HMO dental insurance. I'd be wary of any doctor who drops a patient without a single word of explanation- especially one who they have just diagnosed with a disease- for the reason that they asked too many questions or expressed unhappiness at how long it would take them to address their husband's condition. I really would question the ethics of any doctor who behaves in that way. Going down my wormhole I also found out almost 1/4 of us in the US don't have any dental insurance right now- All of this to say- I am also writing in an effort to help raise awareness of how poor our system of taking care of our dental health in this country is right now. Let's all do what we can to fight to make our insurance models better serve our patients and help to make sustainable models for dentists. Oh- and I would also recommend that you don't go Optima Family Dental. read more

everything went well, up until I got the full mouth of x-ray. very uncomfortable, and I wasn't expecting to have my wisdom tooth pulled today, he mentioned it on the last visit that it needed to go, but the Dentist does the procedures in a way that you don't even feel the work being done. I can't believe that I didn't go to him before, the staff is very courteous and friendly the Dr Armad is very talkative and funny. I thank my husband for introducing this clinic to me. I highly recommend this place. read more

My experience was very good and I can be completely honest and I was still treated like I was a part of the office family. I would highly recommend this Dentist. read more

Optima Family Dental's staff is super nice and the Dentist is extremely sweet and quite funny, very gentle and explains everything, never left there confused or un answered questions. I love Optima Family dental so glad they take my insurance. I would definitely give more than 5 stars if i could. read more

I am very pleased with this dental practice. Super thankful as they were able to squeeze me in last minute with a dental emergency. Dr. Yoseph and his staff were so friendly and very professional. Upon arrival, I noticed that the office is in a secure building on street level. Handicap accessible and Easy street parking. Although busy, I did not have to wait long at all for care. The doctor addressed my issue and gave me the care I needed immediately. This facility doesn't take walk ins, so I'm glad I called ahead. Also, I was set up for a return appointment. I few days later I received a reminder text message to confirm my next appointment, with a option to call if I needed to change. Their service goes above and beyond expectations. read more

Best dental office I've been too. Feel like family and they treat me very well and teeth cleaning they are very gentle and do good job taking care of my teeth. Cannot go anywhere else really like this office. Highly recommend! read more

Absolutely love this dentist office the staff are all very professional and knowledgeable and attentive to your needs my daughter does not like dentists at all but she loves them here the dentist ensures her and makes sure to keep her informed on any problems or whats gonna happen next we searched years to find i PERFECT and amazing dentist office glad we found them here thank you read more

He is the best dentist I've ever had. I spent 8 years in the military and only had access to military dental care. I'm now retired and he is the first civilian dentist I've had. He is top notch and very caring. I highly recommend him. Very nice man read more

good denist for general dentistry , if your looking for gentle compassionate dentistry this is not the place, i give three stars they know what there doing but i felt like my mouth was a engine and he was a mechanic forget gentleness and he tells you if u should hurt or not , if your afraid of the dentist ,Dont Go Here. read more

Dr John Yosef has made me change my opinion about going to the dentist. Root canal performed quickly and flawlessly, even anesthesia done to perfection. A++++++ read more

My wife called them and made an appointment for 05:40 PM. They did not send any confirmation or made a call as is usually done by medical offices on the eve of the appointment.We didn't either, thinking that they must be too busy or just forgot. She took a half day from work which was very inconvenient and called them before leaving office. They claimed that her appointment was set for 05:00 PM instead of 05:40 PM, and wouldn't even listen when she told them that there is no way she made a mistake as the timing was very important to her. I called them myself to get an explanation later that day. They transferred me to someone named Jill who apparently has extensive experience intimidating disgruntled customers. No apologies or attempts to rectify their mistake, very smug and disrespectful. She told us we need to respect our providers. Thanks Jill, great advice. read more

The front desk staff was super friendly. But the actual dentist was not friendly nor was he very patient with my 6 year old who was not fond of getting her teeth cleaned. I had my 8 & 6 year old come in for appointments together. I got my 8 year old situated, stayed while he got his X-ray done and once they had started his cleaning I went in to get my other child situated in a separate room. Not even 10 minutes later the dentist comes in to tell me that my 8 year old had quite a few cavities and that they filled 2 of them. We had only come in for X-rays and a cleaning. And we would normally go to a biological dentist who does BPA free fillings. But instead, he did 2 fillings for my 8 year old child without asking me! (And without me being in the room) I was literally in the next room and someone couldn't have popped their head in to get my consent?! How is this even legal??? Now I have to get them extracted and redone at a biological dentist. I've never experienced someone performing a dental procedure on a child without consent. NOT HAPPY AT ALL. read more

While not a bad experience there were a few issues that prevented this from being a more positive review. After getting new dental insurance I was forced to give up my dentist since childhood and find a new one. Looking on Yelp I found Optima and so decided to give it a try. I scheduled an appointment for a cleaning and arrived to receive it. After a short wait they got me into the dentist chair. I'll admit I was a little concerned that the woman sitting at the front desk (who I assumed to be the receptionist) came in and said she would be taking x-rays. My worry was about her training to operate the x-ray machine and and lead shielding placement to ensure I was properly protected. Regardless she put the shielding on me and took the x-rays. A little while later Dr. Yoseph-Anhar came in and asked about some of my history. While he wasn't rude, his "bedside" manner could use a little improvement. He was not overly friendly. He then asked me if I had full dental x-rays from my previous dentist. I told him I wasn't sure. He told me to check with my dentist and then schedule a follow up visit so he could review the full x-rays and perform the cleaning. He then left the room. I sat there a little flabbergasted that after all that he wasn't actually going to perform my cleaning that day and annoyed that I would need to make another appointment (and take additional time off work) to get my cleaning completed. Why couldn't they have asked me about the full x-rays when I called to make my initial appointment? Why couldn't they tell me that this would requirement 2 appointments? (assuming 2 appointments is the norm...) I went ahead and made the second appointment and called my previous dentist to inquire about the full x-rays. He had not taken full x-rays because I haven't had any dental problems and he felt them unnecessary. I called Dr. Yoseph-Anhar's office to tell them that and they said that it wasn't a problem and that they would take the x-rays at my second appointment. I arrived for the second time and was eventually seated in the dental chair. Dr. Yoseph-Anhar came in, reclined the chair back told me to open wide and proceeded to stick something that look, sounded, and initially felt like a drill in my mouth and started digging around. To say is was an uncomfortable surprise is an understatement, and the fact that he jammed this power tool in my mouth with no explanation again shows *very* poor bedside manner. I eventually figured out that what he was using was some type of ultrasonic cleaner that used high speed vibrations to help remove plaque from my teeth. I don't have a problem with technology but he should of explained what he was doing and the type of tool he was using because it was definitely uncomfortable at times. Again maybe a lot of dentists uses these tools "these days", but my previous dentist did not, so I had never experienced one before. After the cleaning while walking out of the office I realized that the staff had never taken the full set of x-rays that were deemed "required". I just shook my head and kept walking. At the end of the day my teeth were clean, but I felt communication from the office staff as well as Dr. Yoseph-Anhar were severely lacking. My search for a new dentist will continue... read more

Horrible service! I went here, not by choice my insurance scheduled me to this location. I still went in with a positive attitude since I was taking my 5 yr old in for the first time. (I know I probably should have taken him to the dentist sooner but that is neither here nor there). The first initial visit was fine, Dr. Lee, I believe is who took care of us, checked my son's teeth and did a cleaning. He advised us on the fact that my son had a small cavity that needed to be filled. So we scheduled a visit for later in the week. Now here is where it all goes down! Now let me say my son is very well behaved, even Dr. Lee mentioned how good he was for it being his first visit. Dr. Lee on the other hand was horrible with the filling on a small child. He kept putting the suction tube in way too far into my son's mouth that he gagged a couple times. I said "I think its hurting him or too far in". He then pulled it out, but the same thing happened with the small mirror! I remained calm as I did not want my son to freak out as I was on the inside. My son's eyes were watery and he was holding back from crying. :-( it was a horrible!! Then Dr. Lee began to get frustrated with my SON!!! Are u freaking kidding me?!?!? You are hurting him, he told you it hurts and he is gagging AND YOU ARE THE ONE THAT IS FRUSTRATED?!? INSANE. When it was all over I walked out to the office to check out and the "office manager" told me I had a co-pay. I explained to him that my insurance had told me I didn't have a co-pay and proceeded to ask him what the charges were for. He was unable to explain the charges to me, no customer service at all!! He kept interrupting our conversation to pick up the phone and do other things, mind you the office was empty its not like there were other clients to attend to. I had to call my insurance and have them explain the charge to me. Do not go here, esp. if you have small children!!!! But even for adults this dentist office is the worst I've ever been too! read more

I've been living in Chicago for 10 years, and FINALLY I found a Dentist I can fully trust. Dr Yoseph-Anhar is a great dentist, and a better person. I am amazed at the great service, and on how smart he is at carrying a conversation, talking about really intelligent issues, not gossip as you hear usually at so many other places. He was so good at explaining in great detail my dental situation, and my wife's as well. We both got a perfect treatment, great advice, education on how to floss. Again, this is finally a dentist I can trust 100% and I am going to be using his services for ever. read more

Needed to find a new dentist and this place was recommended. It is right by six corners, so parking can get crazy. The place is small and has lot of patients. The staff is really friendly. The main doctor there is great! I had to get shots done and I did not even feel them. The deep teeth clean was a breeze. read more

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this dental practice. I have trusted then with my whole family and I'm very happy coming to this awesome dental office. I am currently undergoing dental implants here at their office. I'm very satisfied with my results. The procedure so far has been pain free. read more

Dr. Anhar is awesome. He has been providing family dentistry to my daughters and I for over 15 years. Excellent preventative and great veneers. read more

I recently joined Optima Family Dental because they are on my insurance list. First time I went for a general consult and it was pleasant. The doctor was very pleasant and funny. He told me what I need done, the receptionist printed out how much it would cost, and we scheduled the next visit. My second visit I had one small cavity fixed and a cleaning done. The dentist was once again super nice, and was very accommodating in making me as comfortable as needed, as I was a little anxious. I BARELY felt the shot he gave me to numb me down, he was very gentle, and worked quickly. I am very happy with the high quality service Dr. Yoseph provides and he is very pleasant to talk to. Also, the office sends you multiple text messages to remind you of your upcoming appt (I don't need the reminders but it's still very nice and convenient). Highly recommended! read more

I needed a tooth pulled and what an amazing job Dr. Yoseph did. I was in so much discomfort going in and he took time to make sure I was comfortable and not in any pain during the procedure. He genuinely cares and it shows. Highly recommend him! Friendly staff and great doctor. read more